With Christmas just a week away, keep those last-minute holiday deliveries safe

A woman in Orange County, Florida was caught on camera allegedly stealing a package off of a doorstep. She probably didn't get what she hoped for as the package was full of worms for a pet bearded dragon.
USA TODAY

A package delivered to a home in San Francisco and left in front of the door.(Photo: Elizabeth Weise)

With Christmas just a week away, police and delivery services reminded people to be aware of thieves when expecting those last-minute holiday packages.

The scenario is simple. Commonly referred to as porch pirates, thieves cruise neighborhoods for unattended packages left on porches or outside homes and then swoop in to steal the treasures.

"I'm not going to say there is a huge increase," Sgt. Armando M. Carbajal, a Phoenix Police Department spokesman, said of the Christmas season phenomenon. "The opportunity for crimes increases."

In a recent survey from Nextdoor, the neighborhood social media app, 62 percent of residents nationwide reported they had experienced a package theft. Fifty percent said package theft was a serious problem in their neighborhood; 41 percent said it's not serious but it's a concern when it happens.

On Nov. 27, Phoenix police responded to a theft on the 2700 block of East Yale Street. The victim told officers she had multiple packages delivered to her home, and one was stolen and another was opened, police said in a statement.

"Residents and delivery drivers need to watch for thieves that are following delivery trucks due to the fact that many thefts occur within minutes of packages being delivered," said Sgt. Ben Hoster, a Scottsdale Police Department spokesman.

How to keep packages safe

Packages waiting for their recipients to pick them up at a New York City apartment building. Despite having a locked door to the outside, package thieves have several times been able to talk their way into the building and make off with all the packages.(Photo: Lindsay Deutsch)

Law enforcement agencies and delivery companies, such as the United Parcel Service, FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service, recommended the following tips to keep holiday packages safe.

Track your package when possible.

Try to be at the location when the package is expected.

Think about where you will be at the expected time of arrival. If you usually work during the day, have your package delivered there.

If you are going on vacation, plan ahead. Have a trusted neighbor or the post office secure the package for you.

UPS My Choice members also can use UPS Access Point Locations, which are places such as UPS stores, grocery stores or other local businesses that offer package pickup and drop-off, Wotapka said.

Online companies also have taken steps to protect deliveries.

An Amazon representative said the company lets customers track their packages in real time through the Amazon Logistics Map Tracking, which shows how many delivery stops the driver has until the destination,

Amazon has created the Amazon Locker to allow customers to have their package delivered to a secure, self-service locker at an Amazon Locker location of the customer's choosing. When the package is delivered, the customer receives an email with a code to the locker.

Amazon also created Amazon Key, which lets customers request the secure, in-home and in-car delivery service, the Amazon representative said.